Sopranos Swan Song?
From: Philip Ringstrom
To: Judith Shulevitz, Margaret Crastnopol, Joel Whitebook, and Glen GabbardPosted Monday, Dec. 2, 2002, at 8:21 AM ET
Who are these people?
It was hard for me to find a center in last night's episode, as it seemed more like a patchwork of possible plots setting us up for the 75-minute finale. But if forced to choose one, I agree that Judith has found a fertile target in her comments on Carmela. What surfaced has reared its ugly head before. Carmela's tiffs with Meadow have been comparably mean-spirited over the years, and we've seen periodic episodes of oedipal tension in which Meadow can readily charm her dad before her mother's jealous eyes. Nor is this the first time Carmela has invited trouble from other men. There was the flirtation with Father Phil in the first season and with her wallpaper-hanger during the third.
What made Carmela especially noteworthy last night however was that her actions—while consistent with her tragic character—seem more desperate and severe. For example, her rebuke of Meadow came in the context of her daughter's overtures of warmth, love, and bonding. It's what she's been waiting for all these years, but she becomes furious at her unwitting daughter for having what she cannot, the possibility of love with a legit guy. This portrayal of self-destruction is also exemplified in her flirting with Furio, one of her husband's workers. Unlike an earlier Carmela with her erstwhile suitors of yesteryear, she has ratcheted up the ante. As Judith notes, this time the game, if played out, would be for keeps. Tony or Furio must die, or one must flee, as Furio (thankfully) does. Carmela, like so many characters on the show, is doomed to do what her personality determines, only more so, and with ever endangering consequences as the vicissitudes of her aging reveal the ultimate dreaded limitation in life.
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As to Judith's nomination of Paulie Walnuts for the "funniest psychopath," that's a tough call, with Silvio and certainly Uncle Jun hogging their share of show's best lines. Paulie exhibits a feature common to psychopaths, and that is their lack of very much superego (conscious) supplanted by their excessive ego (reality-oriented perspective) being organized for the pragmatic necessities of the moment. When offering to take his mother's friend to lunch with his mom did nothing to quell her accusing him of robbery, her murder became the next pragmatic step. The real tragic figure was the mother's friend who still saw Paulie in his boyhood shorts and thought that she could call his mommy to have him reprimanded. Talk about your basic lapse in judgment!
Two final impressions haunt me. Are we arriving at the end of our romance of The Sopranos? Have the writers achieved their goal, to show that there is nothing more here than hopelessly fixed tragic characters that readily will kill one another in a moment of necessity? Were we lured by our own hunger to believe that they could change for the better, only now to have to face this dismal truth? Finally, will Tony get dispatched in next week's episode and perhaps return in the fifth season in dreams and flashbacks of other characters? The series is winding down, but to what? It seems just the "same old shit" keeps floating back up to the surface, and that in itself is the truest statement Chase and his crew can ultimately leave us with.
Phil
Sopranos Swan Song?
From: Philip Ringstrom
To: Judith Shulevitz, Margaret Crastnopol, Joel Whitebook, and Glen GabbardPosted Monday, Dec. 2, 2002, at 8:21 AM ETGlen O. Gabbard, M.D., is a professor of psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine and author of
The Psychology of The Sopranos, inspired by this discussion. Philip A. Ringstrom, Ph.D., Psy.D., is a senior faculty member at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles. Joel Whitebook, Ph.D., is on the faculty of the Columbia Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. Margaret Crastnopol, Ph.D., is on the faculty of the Northwest Center for Psychoanalysis. All are practicing therapists as well. Judith Shulevitz writes the "Close Reader" column for the
New York Times Book Review. Jodi Kantor is
Slate's New York editor.
Notes From The Fray Editor II:
Updating: wellmanswellman thinks Carmela is preggers. Syosset_Guy thinks there is too much emphasis on whacking and that no way is Tony gonna get it. And chango and rob_said_that have a nifty discussion of Tony's homophobia (or lack thereof).
Remarks From The Fray II:
Carmela reacts so strongly to allegations of Billy Budd being gay, because she has already cast Furio into the role of the tragic sailor. Furio's mutinous thoughts correspond, albeit imperfectly, to the plot of Billy Budd. The film version she has seen does not provide the gay subtext of the novel, so Carmela has a version perfectly edited for her own casting agenda. One can imagine the Billy Budd Furio, standing proudly erect on a ship's prow, with his luxurious locks flowing in the sea breeze. Reminiscent of a Fabio romance novel, no?
Surprisingly, it is Tony who tries to mediate the gay Billy Budd controversy, and even begs pardon for his son's use of the term "fag." Although it is clear that this open mindedness has more to do with anxiety about Meadow's male roommate than with sensitivity.
Or does it? Tony appears ambivalent to gays, which might be surprising considering his generally provincial worldview. Yet his handling of Ralphie's decidedly queer sexuality suggests Tony takes a pragmatic, laissez-faire view of sexuality. He might not understand the vagaries of sex, but he does not necessary condemn that which he does not comprehend.
Is it a coincidence that the episode following Tony's rejection of therapy shows him more stable, connected and together than any in recent memory? He shows an uncharacteristic empathy for Carmela and Meadow, even analyzing their relationship and conflict in surprisingly astute terms. Throughout the episode, Tony gives us a glimpse of his potential: a strong yet sensitive father and an efficient and pragmatic Boss. Could this New Tony presage a death made more tragic by his newfound inner strength?
And, speaking of tragic death, what comedy that AJ's second assignment should be yet another "gay" text: Death in Venice. Perhaps Carmela has seen the film version of this novella as well. Like the protagonist in Death in Venice, Furio flees to Italy for renewal (although in his case, it's Naples, not Venice). Will Furio find a metaphoric sexual epidemic awaiting him there? The graffiti transformation of a Venetian gondola into a penis suggests that the Death in Venice motif has only just begun.
-- chango
(To reply, click here.)
I had the same reaction when A.J. started reading the Thomas Mann. What a riot.
I have to disagree, however, that Tony "tolerates" gays. I think he tolerates them the way he tolerates blacks: they're all right as long as they don't try to enter his life. Remember that Tony didn't kill Ralphie until, finally, he had satisfied himself that Ralphie was some sort of "pervert." The horse was a provocation, sure, but with the sexual curtain open Ralphie was weak, a liability. He even paid Janice for the information, which suggests that his interest was more than mere curiosity: it was business, plain and simple.
I also think that the "gay" probing at dinner was Tony's blundering way of establishing whether Meadow was in harm's way sexually by living in a mixed-sex roommate environment. He actually seemed annoyed that the roomate *wasn't* gay, as if he might have to step in and wrestle with that situation now too. A gay man would pose no threat to his daughter's -- what, virginity? Honor?
Underneath it all, Tony is extremely traditional and violently reactionary. Remember how he belt-whipped the councilman who was diddling one of his former girlfriends? That scene seemed gratuitous at the time, but now it may be essential to an understanding Tony's character.
-- rob_said_that
(To reply, click here.)
Notes From The Fray Editor:
Even before our psychologists checked in, the Fray was busy debating Furio's fate and Johnny Sack's motivations. (The Sack thread is excellent and begins here.) GMG, one of our Sopranos regulars, captures the pathos of Furio's decision to leave while zinya (once Carolyn) neatly describes Meadow's "family secret."
Remarks From The Fray:
It is somewhat sad what Furio is giving up for Carmela's safety. He knows he could never kill Tony, the chopper incident proved that. So he cannot have her, his uncle's advice is sound, and she must not be allowed to pursue him. The only way to prevent that is to retreat to Italy, where Carm would be relatively helpless.
In spite of the fact that Furio loves her. In spite of the fact that he is obviously disgusted with the drunken, gambling Tony for cheating on her. (Carmela as Madonna figure to Furio?) In spite of the fact that (glancing sidelong while they both urinate) Furio doesn't think much of Tony's manhood.
He cannot simply move to Mineola or Minneapolis; Carmela would pursue him, find some reason. Napoli is much safer. So for her, he gives up the U.S. (which he loves, did you see the way his eyes fixed on the displays of flags at roadside gas stations) for Naples, which is no longer a place he wants to be. He returns to the female boss, the hamburger wrappers at the Naples Cathedral--a place where he will be unhappy, so that Carmela may live.
-- GMG
(To reply, click here.)
Tony is clueless about Furio, just as AJ is, despite all his firsthand evidence. Only Meadow puts the pieces together and deduces what's up with her mom, and giving Meadow too a family secret to now have to 'manage'. (That scene on the stairs of Tony and Meadow felt very real psychologically--especially Meadow's tracking of multiple new pieces of information, especially in the eyes, of both.)
-- zinya
(To reply, click here.)
(12/2)
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Notes From The Fray Editor II:
Updating: wellmanswellman thinks Carmela is preggers. Syosset_Guy thinks there is too much emphasis on whacking and that no way is Tony gonna get it. And chango and rob_said_that have a nifty discussion of Tony's homophobia (or lack thereof).
Remarks From The Fray II:
Carmela reacts so strongly to allegations of Billy Budd being gay, because she has already cast Furio into the role of the tragic sailor. Furio's mutinous thoughts correspond, albeit imperfectly, to the plot of Billy Budd. The film version she has seen does not provide the gay subtext of the novel, so Carmela has a version perfectly edited for her own casting agenda. One can imagine the Billy Budd Furio, standing proudly erect on a ship's prow, with his luxurious locks flowing in the sea breeze. Reminiscent of a Fabio romance novel, no?
Surprisingly, it is Tony who tries to mediate the gay Billy Budd controversy, and even begs pardon for his son's use of the term "fag." Although it is clear that this open mindedness has more to do with anxiety about Meadow's male roommate than with sensitivity.
Or does it? Tony appears ambivalent to gays, which might be surprising considering his generally provincial worldview. Yet his handling of Ralphie's decidedly queer sexuality suggests Tony takes a pragmatic, laissez-faire view of sexuality. He might not understand the vagaries of sex, but he does not necessary condemn that which he does not comprehend.
Is it a coincidence that the episode following Tony's rejection of therapy shows him more stable, connected and together than any in recent memory? He shows an uncharacteristic empathy for Carmela and Meadow, even analyzing their relationship and conflict in surprisingly astute terms. Throughout the episode, Tony gives us a glimpse of his potential: a strong yet sensitive father and an efficient and pragmatic Boss. Could this New Tony presage a death made more tragic by his newfound inner strength?
And, speaking of tragic death, what comedy that AJ's second assignment should be yet another "gay" text: Death in Venice. Perhaps Carmela has seen the film version of this novella as well. Like the protagonist in Death in Venice, Furio flees to Italy for renewal (although in his case, it's Naples, not Venice). Will Furio find a metaphoric sexual epidemic awaiting him there? The graffiti transformation of a Venetian gondola into a penis suggests that the Death in Venice motif has only just begun.
-- chango
(To reply, click here.)
I had the same reaction when A.J. started reading the Thomas Mann. What a riot.
I have to disagree, however, that Tony "tolerates" gays. I think he tolerates them the way he tolerates blacks: they're all right as long as they don't try to enter his life. Remember that Tony didn't kill Ralphie until, finally, he had satisfied himself that Ralphie was some sort of "pervert." The horse was a provocation, sure, but with the sexual curtain open Ralphie was weak, a liability. He even paid Janice for the information, which suggests that his interest was more than mere curiosity: it was business, plain and simple.
I also think that the "gay" probing at dinner was Tony's blundering way of establishing whether Meadow was in harm's way sexually by living in a mixed-sex roommate environment. He actually seemed annoyed that the roomate *wasn't* gay, as if he might have to step in and wrestle with that situation now too. A gay man would pose no threat to his daughter's -- what, virginity? Honor?
Underneath it all, Tony is extremely traditional and violently reactionary. Remember how he belt-whipped the councilman who was diddling one of his former girlfriends? That scene seemed gratuitous at the time, but now it may be essential to an understanding Tony's character.
-- rob_said_that
(To reply, click here.)
Notes From The Fray Editor:
Even before our psychologists checked in, the Fray was busy debating Furio's fate and Johnny Sack's motivations. (The Sack thread is excellent and begins here.) GMG, one of our Sopranos regulars, captures the pathos of Furio's decision to leave while zinya (once Carolyn) neatly describes Meadow's "family secret."
Remarks From The Fray:
It is somewhat sad what Furio is giving up for Carmela's safety. He knows he could never kill Tony, the chopper incident proved that. So he cannot have her, his uncle's advice is sound, and she must not be allowed to pursue him. The only way to prevent that is to retreat to Italy, where Carm would be relatively helpless.
In spite of the fact that Furio loves her. In spite of the fact that he is obviously disgusted with the drunken, gambling Tony for cheating on her. (Carmela as Madonna figure to Furio?) In spite of the fact that (glancing sidelong while they both urinate) Furio doesn't think much of Tony's manhood.
He cannot simply move to Mineola or Minneapolis; Carmela would pursue him, find some reason. Napoli is much safer. So for her, he gives up the U.S. (which he loves, did you see the way his eyes fixed on the displays of flags at roadside gas stations) for Naples, which is no longer a place he wants to be. He returns to the female boss, the hamburger wrappers at the Naples Cathedral--a place where he will be unhappy, so that Carmela may live.
-- GMG
(To reply, click here.)
Tony is clueless about Furio, just as AJ is, despite all his firsthand evidence. Only Meadow puts the pieces together and deduces what's up with her mom, and giving Meadow too a family secret to now have to 'manage'. (That scene on the stairs of Tony and Meadow felt very real psychologically--especially Meadow's tracking of multiple new pieces of information, especially in the eyes, of both.)
-- zinya
(To reply, click here.)
(12/2)